To-night, however, there were variety and spice with his Jeremiad.
"Brothers, shall this thing take place?
Shall the daughter of Ehrenstein become Jugendheit's vassal?
Oh, how we have fallen! Where is the grand duke's pride we have heard so much about?
Are we, then, afraid of Jugendheit ?" "No!" roared his auditors, banging their stems and tankards.

The vintner joined the demonstration, banging his stein as lustily as the next one.
"Have you thought what this marriage will cost us in taxes ?" "What ?" "Thousands of crowns, thousands! Do we not always pay for the luxuries of the rich?
Do not their pleasures grind us so much deeper into the dirt?
Yes, we are the corn they grind.

And shall we submit, like the dogs in Flanders, to become beasts of burden ?" "No, no!" "I have a plan, brothers; it will show the duke to what desperation he has driven us at last.

We will mob the Jugendheit embassy on the day of the wedding; we will tear it apart, brick by brick, stone by stone." "Hurrah!" cried the noisy ones.

They liked talk of this order.